15 gallon column stocking questions

[nconfort]

Hey guys, I am looking for suggestions on stocking my 15g column aquarium. Here is a link to it:

15 Gallon Aquarium » Aqueon® 15 Gallon Column Deluxe Aquarium Kit | PetSmart

I bought a better filter rated for up to 45 gallons, and I have all the accessories. It will have live plants and vertically standing driftwood to fill out the height.

Stocking is my main concern. Here is a setup I've been juggling around in my head. Please let me know what you think or make better suggestions for me for stocking. I would like it to be filled out as reasonably as possible, and not an empty tank with just 1 or 2 fish. However, I also don't want them to be miserable and die.

Thanks guys!


1 Betta
3 xray tetras
3 black rasporas
2 albino cory
2 guppies (lightly colored, not flashy like a betta)
2 ghost shrimp
1 mystery snail

 

[Valina]

Quote "1 Betta...2 guppies (lightly colored, not flashy like a betta)" End Quote

It's not the color of the Betta vs. other fish (imo) - it is the fins... the Betta sees the fins as someone "prettier" than they are, and are aggressive to them.

Also they have to be willing to share territory with anything else with movement at their level in the tank. Bettas hang out at the top (but not always, they can explore), you need to avoid adding top dwellers or they may be tortured....

Bettas, in general, are very tempermental...some are social, some are snobs...

In my experience, I have had success with Bettas in a 10 gal. community tank consisting of the following:

1 Betta (male)
2 Cory Cats (personal - I have 1 Julii and 1 Sterbai)
4 African Dwarf Frogs (personal - they have AWESOME personalities)
3 Kuhli Loaches (personal - they hide in my driftwood or gravel, and are awesome for a clean up crew)

 

[Valina]

Just re-read your post....

Do NOT put African Dwarf Frogs in that tank!! It is too high for them to get air!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Fishperson]

Bettas are hit or miss in a community tank, sometimes they do fine, normally not. If you still want to put a betta in there, put it in last. Also, cories need at least 4, and the x rays and rasboras need at least 6. Guppies are messy fish that would not do well in that tank, and need at least 4. And Valina has a point, don't add dwarf frogs, they aren't powerful enough to get air easily, and will hurt your betta if you add it. Here is what I would do:
6 rasboras OR 6 xray tetras
4 albino cories
2 ghost shrimp
a mystery snail.
and add a betta LAST, and take it out if it is aggressive or the others are being aggressive to it!

 

[annabel1066]

hi, there. I have the identical aquarium and have the following:

1 crown tail betta
5 harlequin rasboras
2 albino cories

I'm wanting to add a couple more rasboras and at least one more albino cory and a mystery snail (pending availability on the rasbora and cory, not sure I have enough algae yet for the snail). If my betta starts misbehaving, I'm going to put him in a breeder cage for a while and see if that calms him down.

Any thoughts on this? Good/bad idea? Thanks!

 

[Glow light tetra]

Have you considered a sparkling gourami, they have bright colors and will live well with the tetras. Cherry shrimp would also make a great addition to you tank, they will pull that red color towards the bottom

http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Cherry-Shrimp-Breeding-and-Care/23/

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/gourami/sparkling.php

 

[FishCr8zy]

If u r gonna get cories, u have to get at least 3-4 becuz they r schooling fish.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Have you considered a sparkling gourami, they have bright colors and will live well with the tetras. Cherry shrimp would also make a great addition to you tank, they will pull that red color towards the bottom

http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Cherry-Shrimp-Breeding-and-Care/23/

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/gourami/sparkling.php

Red cherry shrimp r a lot more interesting and colorful than ghost but more expensive. I prefer red cherries. One of the reasons i like red cherries is that I will be able to see any dead ones and fish it out before toxins r released. Ghost r transparent so harder to spot.

 

[Valina]

hi, there. I have the identical aquarium and have the following:

1 crown tail betta
5 harlequin rasboras
2 albino cories

I'm wanting to add a couple more rasboras and at least one more albino cory and a mystery snail (pending availability on the rasbora and cory, not sure I have enough algae yet for the snail). If my betta starts misbehaving, I'm going to put him in a breeder cage for a while and see if that calms him down.

Any thoughts on this? Good/bad idea? Thanks!

You should be good with that - but that would probably be about the limit for that size aquarium. I would hold off on the snail until you can see trace bits of algae though....

Good idea on the betta - watch him carefully for the first month or 2...they are sneaky lil fellows and know not to mess with anyone when you are watching!

 

[annabel1066]

Appreciate your advice, Valina. My tank is starting to look comfortably stocked, and once I get another cory and maybe one more rasbora, stocking will be done for me, except for the snail, which I'll add later. I have a little more decorating to do, like adding a black background and another tiny bonsai to cover the air stone, and it'll be time to sit back and enjoy
And I'll keep an eye on Renji the Betta Boy as you suggest. I have some plastic bamboo floating at the top for him, and I've stanched the water flow of my penguin 150 with a block of filter foam across the front so that he has a less turbulent area to rest, so I'm hoping he will be nice and, rather than be the resident hoodlum, just enjoy himself.
As soon as I figure out how to upload photos by url, I'll post some pics

 

[annabel1066]

Hey guys, I am looking for suggestions on stocking my 15g column aquarium. Here is a link to it:

15 Gallon Aquarium » Aqueon® 15 Gallon Column Deluxe Aquarium Kit | PetSmart

I bought a better filter rated for up to 45 gallons, and I have all the accessories. It will have live plants and vertically standing driftwood to fill out the height.

Stocking is my main concern. Here is a setup I've been juggling around in my head. Please let me know what you think or make better suggestions for me for stocking. I would like it to be filled out as reasonably as possible, and not an empty tank with just 1 or 2 fish. However, I also don't want them to be miserable and die.

Thanks guys!


1 Betta
3 xray tetras
3 black rasporas
2 albino cory
2 guppies (lightly colored, not flashy like a betta)
2 ghost shrimp
1 mystery snail

nconfort, in my 15g column, I have a penguin 150 biowheel filter rated for up to 30g, and I was advised that this filter would produce too much turbulence for a betta to be comfortable at the surface where they typically hang out being labyrinth fish, so I bought some filter foam, and put it in front of the water outflow. It diffused the strength of the flow, and redirected the resulting easier flow downward so that I now have a slow moving area for my betta to relax in. I also have some plastic bamboo floating on the top (one long, detached strand of a Marineland 3' bamboo plant) for him to shelter in when he chooses, and he does choose, and so far, he seems to be content

 

[Glow light tetra]

hi, there. I have the identical aquarium and have the following:

1 crown tail betta
5 harlequin rasboras
2 albino cories

I'm wanting to add a couple more rasboras and at least one more albino cory and a mystery snail (pending availability on the rasbora and cory, not sure I have enough algae yet for the snail). If my betta starts misbehaving, I'm going to put him in a breeder cage for a while and see if that calms him down.

Any thoughts on this? Good/bad idea? Thanks!

I would be very carful, bettas can be aggressive to new fish, which is why one usually puts them last.

 

[annabel1066]

Thanks for the advice, Glow Light Tetra, I may not add any more fish at all. Everyone seems to be happy at the moment, and I don't want to upset the balance.